Child Rights in Bangladesh 

Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest garment exporters, with the ready-made garment (RMG) sector accounting for 84 percent of Bangladesh’s exports and employing approximately four million garment workers, mostly women. Although progress has been made in addressing working conditions, significant challenges and risks related to child rights remain. These challenges are being aggravated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a significant impact on the sector, with thousands of workers having lost their jobs or facing income insecurity. 

Child labour is also still a big issue in Bangladesh, and has worsened due to the pandemic. Almost 1.2 million children aged between 5 and 14 are believed to be engaged in the workforce according to the ILO. Job loss of family members, low wages and growing poverty are some of the driving factors of child labour in Bangladesh. The Centre has been working in Bangladesh’s RMG sector since 2017 to support factories in establishing family-friendly workplaces. Our assessments have found that more action is needed to ensure adequate employer-supported childcare, maternity protection and support, young worker protection, stronger health and safety measures, among other areas.